You gotta know when to hold 'em
I just did out a Powerpoint presentation. I feel dirty.
I have a customer, nominally an engineering company, who require IT support. When I got into this game, there was a certain development/support ratio. At the start, it was top-heavy. Which was good. It became less so. In both senses. Like I said, this customer is nominally an engineering company. I remember when they actually employed engineers. Now it's 80% accountants. I hate accountants.
They're pretty much symptomatic of the problem inherent in my work. I went from writing software for their products, so explaining to the new girl that if she wanted her web browsing to speed up she needed to un-tick the "Always dial my default connection" box when she's in the office.
Anyway, the CFO rang me the other day and asked where the accounts were backed up. Now, here's the thing - the accounting software is a multi-user set up with a mix of database, and raw file, based storage. To run a backup, you need to get everyone to log off, and then manually run the backup macro. A fact I've explained many times to the CFO, and the CEO. They back it up to a networked drive, I back up the networked drives.
Apparently, they never have done.
They wanted a proposal for an automatable system. So I figure a virtualised server that can be snap-shotted. Tomorrow, I give a presentation explaining this, and the other benefits to be had with a virtualised server. The last slide is explaining the different options for moving to the new server. Namely that I do the migration and then hand the system over to a new IT support company of their choosing, or that the new support company does it so that they're familiar with the system and I just fuck off home. Mental note - make sure to memorise which slide is second-to-last so I can prep them.
After that, I head up the road to dump my other remaining customer, and then I'm free. Or at least on my way to being free.
A gradual tapering off of awkward phone calls at odd hours, from ex-customers and ex-girlfriends alike.
Oh, yes, I'm single again. It lasted 6.5 months this time. Nearly a record.
I have a customer, nominally an engineering company, who require IT support. When I got into this game, there was a certain development/support ratio. At the start, it was top-heavy. Which was good. It became less so. In both senses. Like I said, this customer is nominally an engineering company. I remember when they actually employed engineers. Now it's 80% accountants. I hate accountants.
They're pretty much symptomatic of the problem inherent in my work. I went from writing software for their products, so explaining to the new girl that if she wanted her web browsing to speed up she needed to un-tick the "Always dial my default connection" box when she's in the office.
Anyway, the CFO rang me the other day and asked where the accounts were backed up. Now, here's the thing - the accounting software is a multi-user set up with a mix of database, and raw file, based storage. To run a backup, you need to get everyone to log off, and then manually run the backup macro. A fact I've explained many times to the CFO, and the CEO. They back it up to a networked drive, I back up the networked drives.
Apparently, they never have done.
They wanted a proposal for an automatable system. So I figure a virtualised server that can be snap-shotted. Tomorrow, I give a presentation explaining this, and the other benefits to be had with a virtualised server. The last slide is explaining the different options for moving to the new server. Namely that I do the migration and then hand the system over to a new IT support company of their choosing, or that the new support company does it so that they're familiar with the system and I just fuck off home. Mental note - make sure to memorise which slide is second-to-last so I can prep them.
After that, I head up the road to dump my other remaining customer, and then I'm free. Or at least on my way to being free.
A gradual tapering off of awkward phone calls at odd hours, from ex-customers and ex-girlfriends alike.
Oh, yes, I'm single again. It lasted 6.5 months this time. Nearly a record.
| < Camp! | BBC White season: 'Rivers of Blood' > |
